Why is my dog's spay incision jagged and bruised 24 hours post-op?

Yes, bruising can be very normal as long as it is not severe or progressive. This amount of bruising is normal and usually caused by little vessels in the skin that bleed during surgery. I would monitor the area closely and the bruising should start to improve over the next few days. Contact your veterinarian if it is progressive or if your dog has any heat, swelling, or discharge from the incision.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The purple areas look like bruising that likely occurred due to trauma/pinching of the area during surgery. Bruising can worsen during the first 2-3 days following a procedure, so this is not abnormal to see at this time for Molly. This bruising should start to improve after another 1-2 days. I definitely recommend keeping Molly's Elizabethan collar (E-collar) on AT ALL TIMES until her sutures are removed by your veterinarian to prevent her from licking at the area and causing trauma/increasing the risk of an incisional infection. If the bruising worsens after day 3-4 post-op, and/or you notice yellow/thick, foul-smelling discharge, and/or if any of the sutures seem to have fallen out, I recommend having Molly seen by your veterinarian right away. Otherwise, I recommend monitoring the area and keeping her E-collar on. Best of luck with Molly - and THANK YOU for spaying your pet!

These bruises happen when blood seeps into the tissue surrounding the surgical site. This usually happens when a dog has a coagulation disorder, or the dog bled a lot during the surgery (for example when spayed during her heat) and then the blood cannot be absorbed quickly enough and seeps into the tissue. If the bruises expand more and should your dog develop white gums or pale gums, then she needs to be seen by your vet who should do a packed cell volume blood test and a coagulation panel. Dogs can easily bleed to death when there is a coagulation problem or continuous bleeding.

This looks like a typical post spay incision site. The skin can pucker a bit as the pet reacts to the sutures used, but this is normal. As long as you are not seeing any discharge or open areas, then this looks just fine. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Take care!

It looks like there could be some inflammation at the site of the incision. That could be due to her body breaking down the sutures, or she caused some sort of trauma to the area. If she is acting normal and you don't feel any swelling around that area I would wait and see if it improves. But if there is swelling, drainage, or pain I would worry about a dehiscence (opening of the incision) which would be an emergency and she should see a vet immediately.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The picture is a bit grainy and discolored so it is difficult to say for sure what the problem is. However, with your description, what you are feeling are likely the knots of the suture at the top and bottom portion of the incision line. These knots can sometimes cause inflammation due to a slight suture reaction. If the incision is not open, then I would just monitor for now. If the incision is red, inflamed or there is pus present, then I would have Huggle rechecked by the veterinarian that did the procedure. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! If the bumps are indeed due to the suture and they do not worsen, you should see those disappear over the next few months hopefully. Complete absorption of the suture I use in my spay procedures takes about 3-4 months to occur. However, absorption time depends on the type of suture used.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The only thing I can't tell from the picture is if the skin is together at the red area. If it is then I think it is fine. The red area appears to be a scab or dried blood that will likely heal. Just be sure she isn't licking the incision (use an E-collar or T-shirt) and that you are keeping her exercise restricted (no running, jumping, stairs and leash walks outside only). Good luck!